We are not trying to commend ourselves to you again, but are giving you an opportunity to be proud of us, so that you may be able to answer those who take pride in outward appearance and not in what is in the heart.

So then, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; what is old has passed away -- look, what is new has come!

Do not become partners with those who do not believe, for what partnership is there between righteousness and lawlessness, or what fellowship does light have with darkness?

And what agreement does Christ have with Beliar? Or what does a believer share in common with an unbeliever?

And what mutual agreement does the temple of God have with idols? For we are the temple of the living God, just as God said, "I will live in them and will walk among them, and I will be their God, and they will be my people."

For see what this very thing, this sadness as God intended, has produced in you: what eagerness, what defense of yourselves, what indignation, what alarm, what longing, what deep concern, what punishment! In everything you have proved yourselves to be innocent in this matter.

to finish what you started, so that just as you wanted to do it eagerly, you can also complete it according to your means.

For if the eagerness is present, the gift itself is acceptable according to whatever one has, not according to what he does not have.

For we are concerned about what is right not only before the Lord but also before men.

Let such a person consider this: What we say by letters when we are absent, we also are in actions when we are present.

And what I am doing I will continue to do, so that I may eliminate any opportunity for those who want a chance to be regarded as our equals in the things they boast about.

What I am saying with this boastful confidence I do not say the way the Lord would. Instead it is, as it were, foolishness.

For even if I wish to boast, I will not be a fool, for I would be telling the truth, but I refrain from this so that no one may regard me beyond what he sees in me or what he hears from me,

For I am afraid that somehow when I come I will not find you what I wish, and you will find me not what you wish. I am afraid that somehow there may be quarreling, jealousy, intense anger, selfish ambition, slander, gossip, arrogance, and disorder.

Now we pray to God that you may not do anything wrong, not so that we may appear to have passed the test, but so that you may do what is right even if we may appear to have failed the test.

As we have said before, and now I say again, if any one is preaching to you a gospel contrary to what you received, let him be condemned to hell!

I assure you that, before God, I am not lying about what I am writing to you!

The only thing I want to learn from you is this: Did you receive the Spirit by doing the works of the law or by believing what you heard?

Does God then give you the Spirit and work miracles among you by your doing the works of the law or by your believing what you heard?

What I am saying is this: The law that came four hundred thirty years later does not cancel a covenant previously ratified by God, so as to invalidate the promise.

But what does the scripture say? "Throw out the slave woman and her son, for the son of the slave woman will not share the inheritance with the son" of the free woman.

For the flesh has desires that are opposed to the Spirit, and the Spirit has desires that are opposed to the flesh, for these are in opposition to each other, so that you cannot do what you want.

Do not be deceived. God will not be made a fool. For a person will reap what he sows,

See what big letters I make as I write to you with my own hand!

-- since the eyes of your heart have been enlightened -- so that you may know what is the hope of his calling, what is the wealth of his glorious inheritance in the saints,

and what is the incomparable greatness of his power toward us who believe, as displayed in the exercise of his immense strength.

For this reason I ask you not to lose heart because of what I am suffering for you, which is your glory.

you may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth,

Now what is the meaning of "he ascended," except that he also descended to the lower regions, namely, the earth?

You must let no unwholesome word come out of your mouth, but only what is beneficial for the building up of the one in need, that it may give grace to those who hear.

trying to learn what is pleasing to the Lord.

For this reason do not be foolish, but be wise by understanding what the Lord's will is.

so that you can decide what is best, and thus be sincere and blameless for the day of Christ,

What is the result? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is being proclaimed, and in this I rejoice. Yes, and I will continue to rejoice,

so that what you can be proud of may increase because of me in Christ Jesus, when I come back to you.

And what you learned and received and heard and saw in me, do these things. And the God of peace will be with you.

For I have received everything, and I have plenty. I have all I need because I received from Epaphroditus what you sent -- a fragrant offering, an acceptable sacrifice, very pleasing to God.

Now I rejoice in my sufferings for you, and I fill up in my physical body -- for the sake of his body, the church -- what is lacking in the sufferings of Christ.

He has destroyed what was against us, a certificate of indebtedness expressed in decrees opposed to us. He has taken it away by nailing it to the cross.

Let no one who delights in humility and the worship of angels pass judgment on you. That person goes on at great lengths about what he has supposedly seen, but he is puffed up with empty notions by his fleshly mind.

We pray earnestly night and day to see you in person and make up what may be lacking in your faith.

For you know what commands we gave you through the Lord Jesus.

See that no one pays back evil for evil to anyone, but always pursue what is good for one another and for all.

But examine all things; hold fast to what is good.

And so you know what holds him back, so that he will be revealed in his own time.

Consequently God sends on them a deluding influence so that they will believe what is false.

And we are confident about you in the Lord that you are both doing -- and will do -- what we are commanding.

But you, brothers and sisters, do not grow weary in doing what is right.

They want to be teachers of the law, but they do not understand what they are saying or the things they insist on so confidently.

Be conscientious about how you live and what you teach. Persevere in this, because by doing so you will save both yourself and those who listen to you.

But if a widow has children or grandchildren, they should first learn to fulfill their duty toward their own household and so repay their parents what is owed them. For this is what pleases God.

In this way they will save up a treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the future and so lay hold of what is truly life.

O Timothy, protect what has been entrusted to you. Avoid the profane chatter and absurdities of so-called "knowledge."

Because of this, in fact, I suffer as I do. But I am not ashamed, because I know the one in whom my faith is set and I am convinced that he is able to protect what has been entrusted to me until that day.

And entrust what you heard me say in the presence of many others as witnesses to faithful people who will be competent to teach others as well.

Think about what I am saying and the Lord will give you understanding of all this.

unloving, irreconcilable, slanderers, without self-control, savage, opposed to what is good,

Instead he must be hospitable, devoted to what is good, sensible, upright, devout, and self-controlled.

who must be silenced because they mislead whole families by teaching for dishonest gain what ought not to be taught.

Older women likewise are to exhibit behavior fitting for those who are holy, not slandering, not slaves to excessive drinking, but teaching what is good.

Slaves are to be subject to their own masters in everything, to do what is wanted and not talk back,

Make every effort to help Zenas the lawyer and Apollos on their way; make sure they have what they need.

So, although I have quite a lot of confidence in Christ and could command you to do what is proper,

Now if he has defrauded you of anything or owes you anything, charge what he owes to me.

Since I was confident that you would obey, I wrote to you, because I knew that you would do even more than what I am asking you to do.

Therefore we must pay closer attention to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away.

Instead someone testified somewhere: "What is man that you think of him or the son of man that you care for him?

And this is what we intend to do, if God permits.

So if perfection had in fact been possible through the Levitical priesthood -- for on that basis the people received the law -- what further need would there have been for another priest to arise, said to be in the order of Melchizedek and not in Aaron's order?

He has no need to do every day what those priests do, to offer sacrifices first for their own sins and then for the sins of the people, since he did this in offering himself once for all.

Now the main point of what we are saying is this: We have such a high priest, one who sat down at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in heaven,

When he speaks of a new covenant, he makes the first obsolete. Now what is growing obsolete and aging is about to disappear.

For you need endurance in order to do God's will and so receive what is promised.

Now faith is being sure of what we hope for, being convinced of what we do not see.

And what more shall I say? For time will fail me if I tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets.

Through faith they conquered kingdoms, administered justice, gained what was promised, shut the mouths of lions,

And these all were commended for their faith, yet they did not receive what was promised.

Endure your suffering as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is there that a father does not discipline?

and make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be put out of joint but be healed.

For they could not bear what was commanded: "If even an animal touches the mountain, it must be stoned."

Now this phrase "once more" indicates the removal of what is shaken, that is, of created things, so that what is unshaken may remain.

Your conduct must be free from the love of money and you must be content with what you have, for he has said, "I will never leave you and I will never abandon you."

So we can say with confidence, "The Lord is my helper, and I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?"

And do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for God is pleased with such sacrifices.

equip you with every good thing to do his will, working in us what is pleasing before him through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever. Amen.

For he gazes at himself and then goes out and immediately forgets what sort of person he was.

But the one who peers into the perfect law of liberty and fixes his attention there, and does not become a forgetful listener but one who lives it out -- he will be blessed in what he does.

What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but does not have works? Can this kind of faith save him?

and one of you says to them, "Go in peace, keep warm and eat well," but you do not give them what the body needs, what good is it?

For we all stumble in many ways. If someone does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect individual, able to control the entire body as well.

You do not know about tomorrow. What is your life like? For you are a puff of smoke that appears for a short time and then vanishes.

So whoever knows what is good to do and does not do it is guilty of sin.

They probed into what person or time the Spirit of Christ within them was indicating when he testified beforehand about the sufferings appointed for Christ and his subsequent glory.

For what credit is it if you sin and are mistreated and endure it? But if you do good and suffer and so endure, this finds favor with God.

like Sarah who obeyed Abraham, calling him lord. You become her children when you do what is good and have no fear in doing so.

For who is going to harm you if you are devoted to what is good?

But in fact, if you happen to suffer for doing what is right, you are blessed. But do not be terrified of them or be shaken.

For the time that has passed was sufficient for you to do what the non-Christians desire. You lived then in debauchery, evil desires, drunkenness, carousing, drinking bouts, and wanton idolatries.

For it is time for judgment to begin, starting with the house of God. And if it starts with us, what will be the fate of those who are disobedient to the gospel of God?

And if the righteous are barely saved, what will become of the ungodly and sinners?